Category: DB4

From reading all these texts a theme that they all talk about is women’s equality and how it’s unfair the way their being treated. As we all aware man tempt to dominates women when it comes to power use. A man rather leads and wants women to follow along without complaints. But there an end to everything, today you can tell me what to do but the next I meant to disagree. and from that day on that’s when I will fight to make a change.

Based on these readings, the primary issue that concerns feminists in the late 1960s and early 1970s was the women’s expectation to follow one path. They expect females’ to get married at a young, start a family, and apply for her role in life as homemaking. At the time society did not expect much from a woman because she’s there for her husband or children. Being someone’s wife means you are spending almost 24 hours straight on domestic chores. Individuals’ wives did not have control over anything and were subject to their husband’s heads and master laws. Wives did not have any rights to their husband’s property or earing while husbands do have control over theirs.

 An author called Maynard wrote a piece called “The Politics of Housework”(1970) and part of it states, “What? You say this is all trivial? Wonderful! That’s what | thought. It seems perfectly reasonable. We both had careers, both had to work a couple of days a week to earn enough to live on, so why shouldn’t we share the housework? .So | suggested it to my mate and he agreed most men are to hip to turn you down flat.” This is something that’s a concern to me because back in my Country Niger, Females believe that there no such thing as a wife helping their husband out with bills it’s all on him. His money is her money, but her money is not his. I don’t understand why is it like that when we both are couples. 

Redstockings of the Women’s Liberation Movement, is a radical feminist group. The Redstockings were influenced by Marxism, submission to male supremacy was a conscious adaptation to their lack of power under patriarchy, rather than internalized brainwashing on the part of women. Based on “The Politics of Housework” talks about how housework needs to be divided on everyone such as men and women. The reality on today’s day, women are the ones responsible for doing every single work at home. For sure it’s gonna be easier if everyone at home should do some of  the housework. Working as a team and never forgetting that women are not the only one that can do it. Let’s talk about “I Want a Wife.” It shows how a man it’s looking for a wife to take care of the child. The man is showing how without a woman, the child is not gonna be treated the same. But the reality is that men are also able to take care of the children. Men need to realize that they can, they are able to take care, to cook for their children, bath them, wash their clothes etc. 

I really enjoyed reading the texts for this week, particularly I Want a Wife and The Politics of Housework, the two both hitting home with a familiar rhetoric that felt very familiar to what my mother engrained in me, not as a premonition of what my life had to become, if “wife” was in my future, but what I should fight for it not to be (in agreement with those particular authors).

The readings from the 1800s seem to emphasize a call to action for equal rights, with a focus on suffrage, when we jump to second wave feminism we now see the focus on not only equality but also women’s gender expectations and their space/roles in society. I believe that by the second wave of feminism the façade of equality is unmasked, that gaining those rights that they have fought for historically (ex. suffrage, right to education, etc) have not amounted to the equality, but served as merely a compromise and a guise to equality while still keeping those in power in their positions.

With that being said, these separate time periods in feminism still share a communal sense of wanting recognition of what it means to live in a patriarchal society by those who uphold it. They also share a sense of understanding that to advance feminism you also must advocate against racism. These are both structures designed to disenfranchise groups and uphold the structure of those in power.

I thought it was also interesting, the emphasis on including the “inhumanity to man” (Steinem), and the role feminism has on liberating the toxic role of masculinity and the gender norms that go along with it, and how those are unfair and harmful to everyone.

“We want to share the work and responsibility, and to have men share equal responsibility for the children… man will be relieved of his role as sole breadwinner and stranger to his own children.”

My reflections on this weeks reading is that I’ve notice most readings had something to do with women having the same opportunities as men. To go into more depth with my statement , in most articles it discussed how women were oppressed (limited) and they wanted to change that, such as the right to vote , which led to the women’s suffrage movement.

Themes that I see across different text this week are mostly about change and equality. the reason why I say this because when reading the text about abolition slavery and the other text about the women’s movement , both text send the same message , changing the way society treats certain communities (women and African Americans) and treat them better and give them the same opportunities that they would give a white man.

The prime issue that concerns feminist in the late 1960’s to 1970’s was mostly equal rights , but the first subject of equal rights that they pushed was the right to vote.

When reading “Is it a crime to vote” There were different concerns on the men side pertaining to women voting, which was that fact that it was alas that only men can vote because they felt that they had better judgment than women. but what made it worse for women was when a women decided to vote and got her self into legal trouble. the men felt that a women voting is a crime . Ive notices that the men and women’s mindset were totally different at the time. Men felt that a women voting would not be beneficial but women felt that they should have the same opportunities as men because they can bring a lot to the table just like men.

The themes that I see across this week’s reading is oppression via patriarchy. The Redstockings Manifesto very clearly names men as societal dominators – and interestingly notes that other -isms (most notably capitalism and racism) as mere extensions of male suppression. These systems were, and still are, primarily controlled by a small subset of white men.

In Steinhem’s Washington Post piece, she notes ways in which science has proven male superiority over women. She laughs, and continues on to include an amusing statistic from the American Medical Association, that “women are better drivers because they’re less emotional than men.” While interesting, the piece itself feels reductive to the movement. At a time when women were fighting tooth and nail for equality, she published a piece that openly mocks her oppressors multiple times. I can only imagine that the Post’s male readers were not impressed. While Steinhem did put in considerable work in the Women’s Lib Movement, I consider her to be a figurehead of “cultural feminism”: a movement that is based on feminism’s effect on one’s personal life and relationships, a way for women to shout “equality” for the sake of themselves, and not society at large.

The Politics of Housework notes ways in which a woman’s husband argues his way out of housework, and the following is particularly offensive:

In animal societies, wolves, for example, the top animal is usually a male even where he’ is not chosen for brute strength but on the basis of cunning and intelligence. Isn’t that interesting ?”
Meaning: I have historical, psychological, anthropological and biological justification for keeping you down. How can you ask the top wolf to be equal?

I find the above quote to be a perfect example of the way men either consciously or unconsciously (neither of which are acceptable) assert control over women, implying that they are “better than” on the basis of their sex.

Share your reflections about the texts from this week. What themes do you see across the different texts for this week? Based on these readings, what do you see as the primary issues that concern feminists in the late 1960s and early 1970s? Where in the texts do you see different priorities or concerns come up — and, what do you notice about these differences?

Throughout all the readings there is a main focus on the way women should prioritize themselves. This world has been dominated by men for such a long time and the standards for women have been implemented by men. In the first reading “Redstockings Manifesto”(1969) it is expressed very clearly that women are tired of being objects and prized possessions, “Our oppression is total, affecting every facet of our lives.  We are exploited as sex objects, breeders, domestic servants, and cheap labor.  We are considered inferior beings, whose only purpose is to enhance men’s lives.”

The following reading by Mainardi, “The Politics of Housework”(1970) men have underestimated he tedious amount of work that women have to do in order to keep the men happy. When they are asked to share the tasks the men are irritated and annoyed that they have to do such things “I hate it more than you. You don’t mind it so much, meaning: Housework is shitwork. It’s the worst crap I’ve ever done   For someone of my intelligence to do it. But for someone of your intelligence…” By men having all this control throughout these long period of times women have been “set” to doubt themselves. Their goals and wishes have been limited for a very long time and that is what is being portrayed  in this reading “I can only explain it by stating that we women have been brainwashed more than even we imagine.”

In the reading “women’s liberation aims to free men too” men are usually put in really tough situations. They were to be drafted and if they did not participate they would be thrown in jail. There are many emotional injustices that were displayed to men as well, in the section “inhumanity to man” just goes to show that men are deprived of their feelings. Men can finally be free in the way that a social pressure is lifted off of their shoulders. Just like the reading mentioned, in other parts of the world a man is allowed by society to stay at home and take care of the children as well.

In the interview for Sylvia Rivera, “I’m Glad I was in the Stonewall Riot” just because many individuals would do drag they would be harassed because society would view that as incorrect. But it is the need for men to dominate that actually makes  my stomach. The fact that many police officers would choose to rape, just to show how dominant they are. “ when I ended up going to jail, to do 90 days, they tried to rape me. I very nicely bit the shit out of a man.” When in fact the police are meant to protect and serve and they would do the complete opposite by harming a community.

Most men up to modern day still have these beliefs, that women have to take care of the house. Women may not be typically as strong as men but majority of the time they out smart the opposite sex. The women in the 60s and 70 had started to rise and pay attention to the consistency of power that men held. It needs to mentioned that the men still in a way “run” the world because they still implement the beauty standards, marketing is to promote sex and domination over women. 

There are differences between communities, race, age, it all matters. White women were fighting constantly in order to put men in their place and start involving themselves in the house and help out with the workload. While minorities would fight for their rights with the people that were to be those who should have represented safety and peace. 

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The primary issue that concerned feminist in the late 60’s was the oppression of women. Throughout most of the text there’s a common discussion of women’s roles in society, and how they are viewed. In both “I want a Wife” and “The Politics of Housework” there’s a clear message of what men think of women, or at least what they are expected to be like. The entirety of “I want a wife” stresses the many responsibilities and burdens a wife was subjected to. And honestly thinking about it, how did women live like this? Like psychologically that must have been h3ll, to be at home all day taking care of children, cooking, cleaning and then to have your husband come home and treat them like royalty, and do that everyday of their lives… Idk still can’t believe that.
Another thing is that “women are inferior to men”. And this is an issue still occurring today. In “women’s liberation” Gloria say people believe women have smaller brains; inability to govern themselves, limited job skills; identity as sex objects, and so on.” This whole belief just doesn’t make sense because how could someone have this idea of women if they never were allowed to do much beyond the home? How could you know of a women’s capabilities, or ability to govern herself if all you don’t see her beyond a housewife, or a sex object?

I think, despite the fact that we can vote now, and serve in the military, women are still confronted with many obstacles today. Yes there has been substantial progression from the late 60’s until today but for example women are still fighting for equal pay, and even freedom of their own bodies.